From the editors of Tool Box Buzz, Home Construction Improvement and A Concord Carpenter
Volume 63
Photo: Custom home build in Mankato, MN
Flipped another page in the calendar today. It now says November. For those of us in the Northern US and Canada, winter is just around the bend. We're on borrowed time. Everyone is scrambling to get their outdoor projects finished up before the ground freezes up. For me and my crew,
we're trying to get the final grading done at one house we're finishing up, while Todd and his crew are trying to get the exterior details of their house all buttoned up.
For homeowners it means getting all of the final yard work done before the flakes start falling. It could be leaves, prepping the lawn for winter, giving the garden a final tilling, or getting some last minute repairs done on the exterior of your home. Whatever it may be, we've included articles this
week around these tasks. If you need us, we'll be outside running around like squirrels collecting nuts.
Every year the trees just get bigger and more and more leaves fall. It can be a daunting task if left until every last leaf falls. It can also wreck some havok on your lawn if they sit too long on the grass. In the linked article we have 6 tips to help you get a handle on tackling this chore quickly and efficiently.
With winter approaching, now is the time to do any remaining digging in your yard. Planting bulbs for next year, adding a tree or two, or even an underground dog fence. I installed one of these fences years ago but with the wire near the surface, it can be damaged by heavy vehicles driving over it.
In the relatively recent past the power company had to come onto my property to
replace a storm damaged pole. In the process they broke the underground dog fence wire that runs around the perimeter of the yard. My dog has been trained on this fence and yard for years so he sticks to the boundaries without any electronic correction but if I left the fence broken long enough, he would figure out shortly (when the ground was froze) that the fence was down. Here's how easy it was to fix.
Fall is a great time to get out and clean up your yard and property for the winter. The air is cool yet still comfortable, the bugs are all dead thanks to the frost, and shrubs and tress start going dormant. For us we get most of our use out of our OPE (outdoor power equipment) in the fall and winter months. Cleaning up leaves, clearing out brush (and deer stand sight lines), and cutting
firewood.
Just over a month ago we had the privilege of going to Virginia Beach, VA to STIHL's US headquarters and check out all of their new products for 2016 and 2017. While there were the usual gas powered tools, the real show-stoppers were the cordless implements.
We often talk about the battery war going on in the construction tool world but know that the same war is happening in the OPE segment as well. Stricter noise and emission
restrictions are fueling the drive to battery powered equipment and STIHL is right at the front line developing gear to fit the needs of the professional user on down to the small urban yard.
